Jennifer Olsen was interviewed by Dr. Sandeep Krishnamurthy, Director, UWB School of Business.

Sandeep: What has been your biggest challenge since graduating with your MBA in 2005.

Jennifer: I am fully sensitive to our clients reliance on us to give them sound HR advice. My job is to ensure our clients get the help they need when they need it and have the best possible experience working with us.

Sandeep: Tell me more about your company.

Jennifer: Resourceful HR is privately held and currently has a staff of seven. Resourceful HR is built on two pillars: 1) delivering the highest quality guidance and programs for clients while, 2) giving equal importance to work/life balance within the team. Keeping this framework in equilibrium as Resourceful HR rapidly expands requires a break from traditional thinking. I find that this enhances our work with clients as they look for ways to drive employee productivity and efficiency. Helping organizations innovate through greater use of their human capital while creating an environment for my own staff to grow personally and professionally is and will continue to be my vision.

Sandeep: What did you get most out of your MBA education?

Jennifer: I don’t know that Resourceful HR would have made it through this past recession without the benefit of the MBA education I received at UWB. Collectively the courses I took at UWB provided me tools with which I was able to recover the company completely from the economic downturn. I felt like I was in school all over again, as I poured through my notes and textbooks from my time at UWB while I formulated a survival strategy for Resourceful HR. As a result, we are much stronger now than we were before the recession, both financially and strategically. In fact, the level of Resourceful HR’s company fitness can be gauged by the fact that we are opening new lines of business and hiring new members to the team.

Sandeep: What advice do you have for future MBA students?

Jennifer: Immerse yourself fully in the experience! Get to know your professors and fellow students as much as you can. Take advantage of your professor’s office hours to chat about the material or about how to apply what you are learning to current situations at work. When working on a project team, volunteer to take on project pieces that are out of your comfort zone. Use the time to explore information and your own abilities as much as possible. Your efforts and the results will position you for success during your degree program and for years afterward.